MICHIGAN MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT IN DENVER
TO POACHING BEAR, DEER, AND ELK IN NORTHWEST COLORADO
OVER FIVE YEAR PERIOD

Sandy Schondelmayer, from Hastings, Mich., pleaded guilty today in U.S.
District Court for the District of Colorado at the U.S. Courthouse in
Denver, Colo., to one count of violating the felony provisions of the
Lacey Act, for the illegal interstate transportation, and purchase, of a
black bear in violation of state and federal wildlife laws.

In a signed plea agreement with the government, Schondelmayer, 53,
admitted to unlawfully killing a black bear in 2001, north of Craig,
Colo., falsifying Colorado Division of Wildlife reporting records, and
then transporting the bear back to Michigan. The government’s agreement
with Schondelmayer requires him to pay $15,000 in fines and restitution
and receive a lifetime suspension of his hunting privileges in Colorado
and several other western states. Any term of imprisonment will be decided
at the time of sentencing by the Court. Schondelmayer also forfeited
numerous big game mounts to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In the plea agreement Schondelmayer also admitted to illegally killing
in Colorado and Wyoming, and transporting in interstate commerce, two elk
and one mule deer, between 1997 and 2000. The investigation was initiated
after a concerned citizen reported possible violations committed by
Schondelmayer. The tip, which was provided through Colorado’s Division of
Wildlife Operation Game Thief Program, eventually resulted in the issuance
and service of a federal search warrant at Schondelmayer’s residence where
numerous big game mounts were seized.

Subsequent interviews with Schondelmayer and other Michigan residents
lead to additional charges being issued in Arizona and Colorado.

Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, Schondelmayer
was previously convicted in Michigan State Court in January 2003, of
unlawfully killing seven white-tailed deer and one black bear between 1999
and 2001. In Michigan, Schondelmayer was ordered to pay fines and other
costs totaling $10,950, sentenced to 60 days in jail, ordered to forfeit a
scoped-sighted crossbow, and prohibited from hunting through 2006.

The interstate transportation and sale of wildlife taken in violation
of any state laws is also a violation of the Lacey Act, a federal wildlife
protection law. Schondelmayer pleaded guilty to one felony violation of
the Lacey Act, which includes maximum penalties of five years imprisonment
and a $250,000 fine.

No sentencing date has been set for Schondelmayer.

Schondelmayer’s prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by
special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and wildlife
officers from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S.
Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division and
the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

Operation Game Thief is a non-profit organization that works with the
Division to reward citizens who report wildlife crimes. Callers don’t have
to reveal their names, testify in court or sign a deposition. Rewards are
paid if the information leads to the arrest of a poacher or a citation is
issued. To report wildlife violations, call toll free 1-800-332-4255.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System which encompasses more than 542 national wildlife refuges,
thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also
operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78
ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife
laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird
populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and
restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments
with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program
that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on
fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

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For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov